Summary Happiness isn't a feeling, feelings are just indicators of the external world. 3 macronutrients that make up happiness/high well-beings are: 1. Enjoyment: not just pure pleasure but a mix of pleasure + people + memory 2. Satisfaction: struggling enough for something e.g. studying for better grades, exercising for better physique 3. Meaning: a mix of coherence (why do things happen the way they do), significance (why does it matter I am alive) and purpose (what's the direction and goals involved in my life) So, what are the 4 key concepts to happier life? People thought money, power, pleasure and fame can bring them happiness however that's not true. These are the 4 keys concepts: 1. Faith: in awe of something greater than yourself, can be many things such as religion or nature etc. 2. Family: as kin-based creatures, we have to take care of our family even if we don't like it 3. Friendship: maintain a few close friendships 4. Work: earned success (you are creating value that is recognized) and service to others (help make others life better)
@@agathondmiurgus nah, for him happiness is an overall direction, not a destination. Pleasure is a feeling and an indicator of happiness. It's a relatively short video, and its generally not bad advice. Might be worth a watch! Have a great day :)
@@OreoKenObi it seems his directions are pretty clear. I imagine if all of us take his directions we will all arrive at the same destination... so doesn't that change the meaning of what direction is? bcs directions have no destination, and this case is all about personal directions.. but wait!! Forget the "personal "bcs it is science. pain is also a feeling and can be an indicator of happiness. Look the point is you can't do science to solve metaphysical questions and you can't reduce metaphysical questions to empirical and phenomenological questions. He is an idiot with a PhD and those are the worst. I partially agree with the "not bad advice" but I'll never allow science to tell me what's good or wrong (I need the notion of it to be happy) and if happiness requires belief (which is stupid bcs we need belief just to live our lives in the most mundane sutff, the nihilist doesn't stop believing he juts find no grounding, its like saying we need to eat, eat and you will be happy) I must believe in what I think, so I'll disagree with him on his own standards in order to be happy
Feelings are not just indicators of the external world. People have feelings that are disconnected from the reality of the external circumstances all the time and a great deal of suffering as a result. For example, people with PTSD might be experiencing fear constantly despite the fact there is no objective threat.
Just hit 'subscribe' and you'll be brought this stuff as it comes out! I otherwise have my history settings turned off so I'm not dictated to by the algorithm. It's made my RU-vid experience so much nicer. (obviously the good old days of discovering new things without as much noise would be preference, those times seem to be over)
Happiness and fulfillment go hand in hand. Happiness is fleeting (ex: sex, going on vacation, winning a game). Fulfillment is the process of living a valued life, where one pursues things that they are passionate about. It generally comes from choosing actions that move a person towards what they value, as well as achieving goals that were guided by those values. Having fulfillment in life will lead to more moments of happiness.
You are confusing happiness with pleasure. Pleasure is temporary, as your examples suggest. Happiness is a state of being, or as mentioned in the video, a direction. You can be facing trials in life and still have happiness if your faith, family, friends, and service to others are all intact. Also, remember that "service to others" can mean allowing others to serve you in your times of trial. You are then providing an opportunity for others to build on their happiness bank.
@@catatonicbug7522 I see where you are coming from but I'd argue that it is impossible for someone to be "happy" all the time. Fulfillment is a state of being. Even the happiest of people have moments when they are sad. Without sadness, there is no happiness.
When meaning and the loss of experiencing joy are gone (or severely muted) from over a decade of severe depression, what are we to do? I have what you said. I would love for it to inspire me. I’ll do my best.
That's an excellent conclusion for the evolutionary psychologist, but stopping there, and deriving the 4 categories of pursuits laid out in the rest of the video simply doesn't provide a comprehensive happiness pension plan. I don't say this to denounce it, in fact I believe it's a great outline for the general person's pursuit of happiness. But there is something to be said of the lack of any real general person that exists. What family means is blurred in the context between cultures. Pursuing work might be synonymous with one's faith to change the world. This is an excellent system for those who live in the confines of a culturally ubiquitous bubble. But the pursuit of such habits suddenly change dramatically if living any other kind of life, or living one dictated by systems above their bubble. Regardless, this was a great video, just thought I'd throw a few cents in. This has given me a good bit to ponder, thanks!
I'm a fan of Brooks, and overall it's a great intro to the science of happiness. Although I do have a few qualms. Namely, one can experience enjoyment with or without people (although it's often better with them). Also, I would add health and play to the list of happiness habits.
I was captivated during this entire video - my first introduction to Arthur Brooks 👌love his description of faith being "standing in awe of something bigger than you." 💫
Happiness is unachievable so long as you're living in America under corporate rule. Your job doesn't care if you succeed or fail, they'll simply replace you, your money is already divided up before you even cash the paycheck, you'll never be able to save enough for an emergency, generating wealth is out of the question because we're all forced to be renters which eats up to 60% of your yearly wages, your insurance takes your money then refuses to cover the bill, your medical debt will be a life long burden, your education will leave you virtually bankrupt and without a job in your field, your government ignores you, pick your poison (R) or (D) they hate you because you're not a rich donor, your "rights" can be revoked at a whim, there is no equal treatment under the law because the law is deferential to wealth and sets precedence in their favor, also you might randomly get shot for no reason by a civilian or police officer and we'll just call it Tuesday. The whole time the corporate elites will try to sell you some philosophical asceticism nonsense to hopefully make you trick yourself into thinking you dont need or deserve more, all the while giving themselves multi million dollar pay raises and massive golden parachutes for when they inevitably break the law for their ill gotten gains and they have to be "fired" but never prosecuted. The level of stress and disregard you have to endure is maddening and the list goes on and on and on..... If you are American, you are a serf, you are property, human capital and nothing more. You are to reproduce and toil your life away and maybe they'll let you hold on to some plastic junk to keep you docile but don't you dare ask for more. Happiness? You can't have any. Not until you let the corporate nobility class know you mean business. God damn it RU-vid censor bot, stop deleting this. See? They even trained their AI to refuse to let you criticize them. Shake these damn parasites off.
What happens when you come from an extremely dysfunctional family and had to cut ties with them? I know it has reduced my happiness by not being in touch but I didn't want to be abused by them either.
@@dakine4238 it IS incredibly hard. And it is entirely normal for it to feel daunting, and to have little to no idea how to go about it (after all, your history hasn’t prepared you to do so). Here are two suggestions: (1) Do something you enjoy with others who also enjoy doing that thing. Find an activity-based club (ideally one that meets in person) and join up. Bonds of kinship are likely to appear. (2) And when you can, seek advice from a therapist who understands how to listen to and support you without needing you to reciprocate in kind. Friendships are two way relationships. But everyone needs some unidirectional support, and especially if we’ve been missing that from parents.
what should you be going after? but you need to stand in awe of something bigger than you, that's faith we've evolved as a kin-based species If you create a schism in family relationships, you've sacrificed your happiness that doesn't mean over-indexing on work and working all day and all night Happiness is not a destination, happiness is a direction. Getting happier requires knowledge and work. It requires changing your habits
And deeply academic too… “validating” how one defines or not their own perceptions…soon we will be able to pay subscription to “unlock” true happiness. I respect the specialist, but tired of academia taking possession of normal life and selling it back as a solution they discovered
Well... I think I have enjoyment, satisfaction and meaning in my life, but I don't feel happy. I feel satisfied, safe, but not happy. I have great family, friends, my work is awesome, I feel pace, but there is still no happines. I don't know what I am missing.
Las dificultades no duran. Pero la esperanza en Dios es para siempre. La Biblia dice: “Tres virtudes hay que ahora permanecen: la fe, la esperanza y el amor. Pero la más excelente de ellas es el amor” 1 Corintios 13:13.
Ty. 😢 Heavenly Father you have given me more than I know I deserve. I come before You with gratitude being a single mom with two sons with special needs. I pray that you bless me with your love, grace, and strength, as I tirelessly care for my family. I ask that You provide for my every need and sustain me in my daily struggles. Because Lord I’m overwhelmed struggling to pay rent each and every month struggling to buy groceries. I wish I had an easier life. Lord hear my prayers.
This gives a partial explanation about why some members of the the tik tok / only fans demographic may be unhappy. The pursuit of pleasure alone is an empty pursuit.
Sounds like happiness isn't really in my cards. I'm a loner and lifelong sufferer of depression. Most relationships and experiences that people enjoy just don't feel rewarding at all to me. My decades-long philosophical inquiry into the meaning of life has concluded that there isn't any. We're just along for the ride in a series of random accidents. I have major disagreements with the way society operates in general. All my attempts to contribute in any creative or aspirational way have taught me that nobody cares what I think about anything. So...fuck it. I'll just function as a good workaday citizen and otherwise live in my own world where I can wring out some pleasure that makes life seem worthwhile.
I have a good one for you. "The stranger" by Albert Camus. If you like that, then read Molière's le bourgeois gentilhomme. Very funny. If you like that then it's time for you to read Candide by Voltaire. After that just enjoy who you are! The point is that happiness is existential. You can travel hundreds of miles in a straight line and never see water. Another may walk a mile and see everything they never even dreamed of.
That's nice, and i can respect that. Not true for everyone tho. Needing meaning... needing happiness... Is a weakness. I guess i just wanna add that this isn't the supreme mindset system to go by but it a good enough scheme. Not for me tho, and i'm 'sure' it wasn't meant for me
Only four and these four!? That says it all! F the work and service to others for instance! Means nothing to me whatsoever! The moment you wrapped a formula for happiness of all, that’s when dogma has taken over! Specially when those things are not tangible.
What if someone told you that happiness didn't exist? It's all made up by marketing to make you believe that there is a permanent state of joy that can be achieved. In truth, there is no permanent state of joy, it's always just ups and downs but it's the discomfort of the downs that makes the ups feel so good. If you're feeling depressed go for a walk in the pouring rain. Then see how good your own bed feels
Yeh Aristotle and all the other greeks were buying stocks market while doing Philosophy. And yeh depression in just a “down” and getting wet cures it. Amazing
Whoop, no. Bad enough invoking "meaning of life". Faith? Nup, no, uh-uh, never! Sure, give your life meaning, but don't go crediting some "higher purpose". Life itself was a happy accident; from there, it's just what you were born into & how you choose to respond. A lot sucks, but overcoming the suck is on you. It can happen!
What a load of bollocks to not have money as a legitimate factor. Studies have shown that money absolutely does have strong correlations with happiness levels. And the higher the income, the greater the happiness, although the effect becomes marginal in income earned over 80000 USD per year.
faith, family, firnedship, work.... sounds really dumb to me. so an aromantic, introvert person can not be happy at all because there are 2 of the 4 missing? I doubt that.
Thomas Aquinas 4 False Idols - Money, Power, Pleasure, Fame What does the Bible say - For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:16-17